The ramblings of a middle-aged man

Because, Stout 04 by Triptych Brewing

Well, dammit. According to my Untappd Ratings, I’ve only had one stout from Triptych Brewing. They are primarily known for their hazy IPA’s, which are phenomenal. Maybe not Calusa phenomenal, but a close 2nd. The only stout I’ve had was a campfire stout, and it was glorious (link below). So, when my buddy Niles made a trip to Triptych to grab some cans, I asked for some stouts. This is the first one I cracked open.

Because, Stout 04 pours dark as night with a thin caramel head that dissipates to a thin ring around the inside of the tulip. Swirling the beer does very little to reinvigorate the carbonation. It looks heavy.

Aroma is all cocoa and a slight hint of tart cherry. That’s interesting. I’ve had a few cherry stouts in my day, but this one smells the best. Wow. Let’s tip it back and see how it tastes.

It’s very chocolate forward, which is good and then a blast of cherry hits your palate. It’s not overly tart but perfectly balanced with the sweetness of the chocolate. There’s a slight bitter back end, which is a mixture of the sweet chocolate and the tart cherry. I was expecting more dark chocolate on the finish but was pleasantly surprised. This is a quality stout. I really dig it. My wife will LOVE it. She’s a huge fan of cherry in her beers so I’ll be curious to hear her thoughts.

Triptych says this beer is “a strong stout featuring Tanzanian Cocoa Nibs and Montmorency Cherry Puree.” This beer from Triptych is such a delight. I have two more stouts from them to sample, and now I can’t wait to dig into them.

I never got a chance to get to the Triptych taproom when I was living in Illinois. Such a failure on my part. Their beer is fantastic. Thank goodness I have a friend who goes there enough to keep my fridge full!